This course fulfilled the Aesthetic Expressions Pillar. Instead of being a class in which students learn how to act, this theatre class focussed on studying the history of theatre. We began the semester by learning about how theatre originated in ancient Greece and we read the play Oedipus. Throughout the semester we read several other plays like Hamlet and Tartuffe as well as more recent ones like Fences. We also spent some time learning the different jobs of people involved in theatre. At one point we were put into groups and had to create a presentation in which we taught the class about one specific job that someone involved in theatre may have. My group taught the class about stage directors. Another requirement of this class is that we had to go to each play that Longwood’s theatre department put on and write a reflection on it. In our reflections we were tasked with picking out a specific aspect of the show like the lighting or the set and were supposed to comment on how it affected the show. While I already enjoyed theatre before this class, I have found that I learned so many interesting things about theatre which I never knew.

Click Here! No Exit Reflection Paper

Stella Morris, Fall 2018 Above is the link for one of my reflection papers from THEA 101. In this particular paper, I analyzed the meaning of different lights used throughout the performance.

Reflection: As previously mentioned, a requirement of THEA 101 was to attend each play put on throughout the semester and then write a reflection on it. My reflection paper for No Exit is my favorite from this class because I loved contemplating the reasoning behind the different uses of light throughout the production and its meaning. Before this class I had a love for theatre but I had never thought about it as deeply as needed for these reflection papers. I usually focused on the actors, set, and costumes but less of my attention went towards the lights and sound effects. Having to focus so intently on one aspect of each show was difficult for me during the beginning of the semester and the feedback from my professor on each paper was crucial to my improvement. While none of my papers were perfect, I truly believe that each one was better than the last. I also believe that this class and these papers have helped me become more observant and have taught me to think more abstractly about art. I know these skills will prove useful not only at Longwood but in countless situations in the future.